Game-box



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. VIDGER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAM E-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,997, datecl April12, 1881.

Applicafion filed June 16, 1880.

To all w/wm zt may conccrn:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY \VID' GER, of Lynn, in tbe countyofEssex antl State of Massachusetts, bave inventecl certain new and.useful Improvements in Game-Boxes, of wbicb che following is aspccifieation.

My inveution consists in a certain novel coustroction ancl' combinatiouof parts, forming a simple, cbeap, ami effective device for keeping arecord of tbe points in a game, or for marking tbe points made byseveral separate players; also, in a certain bovel arrangementandadaptation wbereby saitl invention may be appliecl to a card-case orcribbagebox.

Referring to tbe drawings forming part of tbis application, Figure 1 isa plan view of a card-case or cribbage box opened upon its hinges, tbepack ci cards being sbown tberein in broken lines. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of said case or box, taken npon che line w 00 of Fig.1, but sbowing che box COSC(. Fig. 3 is an enlargecl section of one oftbe strips I.

It, is Well known lo cartl-players tbat, witb tbe exception ot' cheorclinary cribbage-board, few, if any, of tbe card-boxes sold in tbemarket contain devices for recording the various games wlncb may beplayed witb carcls. Il; would be difticult to devise an apparatns wbicbcould be used to mark ali possible games; but for the purposes ofrecording tbose which are most commonly used by card-players some deviceis greatly neetled, and it is tbe pnrpose of my invention to supply tbiswant.

Ain tbe clrawings indicates a box or case suitable for containing a fullpack of cartls. This case may be made, if desired, of snob proportionsas to hold tbe cards laitlin a single pile; but I prefer to increasc tbelengtb and reduce thetbickness of tbe case by formng it, as shown in tbeclrawings, so that tbcpack maybe stowed tberein in two equal, or nearlyequal, parts, as it may be much more conveniently carried in che pocketwben made in these proportions. Witbin tbe bottom of the case or box A,I form tbe cribbage-board B.

A is che lid of tbc box, and upon tbe inside of this lid I place amarking device or tlevices, which I construct in tbe following; manner:Slots O C O G are out 10m gitudinally in the lid A, extending from oneend to about tbe cen- (No model.)

ter of the cover, or as far as may be lesirable. These slots aresballow, an d are partl y covered by strips of veneer, D, out fromanyornamental woocl, a narrow space, D, being left between tbe adjaccntstrips over tbe central part of the slots (3. A block or strip, F, whicbm ay be covered With felt a, so as to closely fil; witbin tbe inclosedslot 0, is placecl in sai l slot before che strips D are fastenecl inplace. A 1netallic button baving a screw-sb ank is lir1nly attacbed toeach of tbe blocks or strips F by screwing the tbreadecl end iuto tbewood composing tbe block: Tbe sbank of tbe button G projects between chevencer strips D, so that tbe bead or buttou itself rests upon tbeadjacent e(lges of said strips, betwecn wbicb il; may be mmed or slicllongitudinally Witb ease,wbile at the same time tbe block upon wbicb itis mounte l fit-s closely enougb in its slot to prevent any accidentalinovemeimordisplacement. Io eacbbntton is attacbed a pointer, I,projecting over tbe strip I). A graduated scale is marked upon saitlstrip, Witb suitable uumcration indicatetl tbereon, and tbe arrangementci tbe parts just described is snob tbat tbe poiuterI 1naybe made toregister with any one oftbe clivisions marked on tbe scale by merelyslitling che button along until 'it reacbes tbe proper point.

A separa-te scale may be 1i1arked upou eacb strip D or upon eacb edge oftbe tbrce interior strips; or tbe central strip may bave tbe sanie scalemarked upon eacb etlge, Whilc separate andindepentlent graduatons arei'ormetl 011 t-be otber strips. Moreover, by pivoting tbe heatl ot tbebutton G upon its shank, so that it may be revolved one-balf arevolution, I may tbrow auy one of tbe pointers I into engagementwitbeither one of two different scales. Tbe same result may also beaccomplisbed by pivoting tbe pointer I upon che button G. So manydift'erentcombinations are possible in tbis manner that a great varietyof gan1es may be marked witb tbis device.

Tbe remaining portion of tbe inside of tbe top is occnpiecl by a slateor other surface capable of receiving legible marks from any pencil. Iprefer to use for tbis purpose a strip of artificial slate, wbicb may besimply fitted in place and renewecl wbenever desired. Tbe couvenience otcombining snob a tablet Witb 0116 other marking devices described, aswell as With the cribbage-board, will be apparent to every player.

The blocks or strips F may be made square or slightly oblong but Iprefer to use a long strip and to mount the button at one end. 'lhestrip may be arranged to slide under the tablet L as the buttons arepushed toward the center of the cover. By using a long strip nstead of ablock, there is less danger of its bndng in che slot, the button movesmore steadily and smoothly, and the felt packing may be more easilyattached.

When the pack of cards is stowed in the box a vacant space W11 remaineither at the end or between the two piles of cards, as the case is altt1e more than twice the length of an ordinary pack. By sliding thebuttons G to the center of the cover they wll, when the ld is closed,fall into the space between the two halves of the pack, as shown in Fig.2.

The markng devces, consisting of the buttons G and graduated strips D,may be used upon any game table or board as well as in that described.

Havng thus fully described my inventon, whatIclam as new, and desire toseeure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A game-box, A, containng the cribbageboard B, the sliding markers G,and the recording-tablet L, thc said box being composed of two partshinged together, in order to provde for the cover A, al1 substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a game-board, che combnation, with diffkarently-graduated soales,of the buttons G, n1ounted upon strips F, each button beng adapted tosfide in a straight lime upon said scale and move independently of theothers, substantially as set forth.

3. The two-part combination, With the gameboard A A, of the graduatedstrips D, the sliding blocks F, provided With a packng of felt, and thebuttons G, having a suitable pointer, I, mounted on each one,substantally as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, With the buttons G, adapted to sfide between chedfferently-graduated strips D, of the reversble pointer I, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a gamebox, A, provided. With hngedcover A and having the cribbage-board B, the markc1s G G, adapted toslide between the graduated strips D, and provided with a reversiblepointer, I, and the recording-tablet L, the buttons G being mounted uponfelt-lined st1ips F, substantially as and for the pmpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my na-me to this specificaton in thepresence of two subscribing wi tnesscs.

OHARLES HENRY WIDGER.

Witnesses S. O. SHERMAN, GEORGE H. R1on.

